Floatation Garment Assembly

ABSTRACT

A floatation garment assembly promotes buoyancy of a wearer in water while being less restrictive than a conventional life jacket. The assembly includes a main body having a front section, a rear section and a pelvic section coupled together. The pelvic section is coupled to and extends between a bottom of the front section and a bottom of the rear section. The main body has an open top end and a pair of leg openings extending into the main body. The leg openings are positioned adjacent to the pelvic section. The main body includes a floatation member constructed of a buoyant material for promoting buoyancy of the wearer in water. A first strap is positionable around the main body between the front section and the rear section for securing the main body around a lower body of a wearer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/826,838 having a filing date of May 23, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure

The disclosure relates to personal floatation devices and more particularly pertains to a new personal floatation device for promoting buoyancy of a wearer in water while being less restrictive than a conventional life jacket.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a main body having a front section, a rear section and a pelvic section coupled together. The pelvic section is coupled to and extends between a bottom of the front section and a bottom of the rear section. The main body has an open top end and a pair of leg openings extending into the main body. The leg openings are positioned adjacent to the pelvic section. The main body includes a floatation member constructed of a buoyant material for promoting buoyancy of the wearer in water. A first strap is positionable around the main body between the front section and the rear section for securing the main body around a lower body of a wearer.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top front side perspective view of a floatation garment assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 5 thereof, a new personal floatation device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the floatation garment assembly 10 generally comprises a main body 12 having a front section 14, a rear section 16 and a pelvic section 18 coupled together. The pelvic section 18 is coupled to and extends between a bottom of the front section 14 and a bottom of the rear section 16. The main body 12 has an open top end 20 and a pair of leg openings 22, 24 extending into the main body 12. The leg openings 22, 24 are positioned adjacent to the pelvic section 18. The front section 14 may be coupled to the rear section 16 above each of the leg openings 22, 24. When the assembly 10 is worn on the wearer's 26 lower body 28, the pelvic section 18 is positioned between legs 30, 32 of the wearer 26, the front section 14 abuts an abdomen of the wearer 26 and the rear section 16 abuts the wearer's 26 buttocks.

The main body 12 includes a floatation member 34 constructed of a buoyant material for promoting buoyancy of the wearer 26 in water. The floatation member 34 may comprise a pad 36 constructed from a foam material, and more particularly, may comprise a neoprene rubber foam material. The main body 12 may also include a shell 38 positioned around and abutting an outer surface 40 of the pad 38. The shell 38 is constructed from a soft material, such as fabric, cloth or the like to provide increased comfort to the wearer 26 while wearing the assembly 10. The shell 38 may be coupled to the pad 38 using an adhesive, stitching or both.

The main body 12 includes a slit 42 extending downwardly from the open top end 20 toward the pelvic section 18 to allow the main body 12 to expand or contract as needed. This permits the main body 12 to be worn by a number of different users having various body sizes. The slit 42 may be positioned in the front section 14 extending transversely relative to the open top end 20 of the main body 12. The slit 42 may taper from the open top end 20 toward the pelvic section 18.

A first strap 44 is positionable around the main body 12 between the front section 14 and the rear section 16 for securing the main body 12 around the wearer's 26 lower body 28. The first strap 44 has a break therein defining a first free end 46 and a second free end 48. A coupler 50 releasably couples the first free end 46 and the second free end 48 together and includes a first mating member 52 attached to the first free end 46 and a second mating member 54 attached to the second free end 48. The coupler 50 may be sewn or otherwise conventionally fastened to the first strap 44. The first 52 and second 54 mating members are engageable to secure the first strap 44 around the main body 12. The coupler 50 may comprise a buckle 56, hook and loop fastener or the like. The coupler 50 is positionable over the slit 42 to help retain the slit 42 in a closed position.

The main body 12 also has a first hole 58 and a second hole 60 each positioned in an exterior surface 62 of the main body 12. The first 58 and second 50 holes are horizontally aligned relative to each other. Each of the first 58 and second 60 holes define an access opening into a channel 63 formed within an interior space of the main body 12. The channel 63 extends from the first hole 58 to the second hole 60. The first strap 44 extends through the channel 63.

A second strap 64 is positionable around the main body 12. The second strap 64 is spaced above the first strap 44. The second strap 64 has a break therein defining a first outer end 66 and a second outer end 68 of the second strap 64. A closure 70 releasably couples the first outer end 66 and the second outer end 68 of the second strap 64 together and includes a first coupling member 72 attached to the first outer end 66 and a second coupling member 74 attached to the second outer end 68. The first 72 and second 74 coupling members are engageable to secure the second strap 64 around the main body 12. The closure 70 may comprise a buckle 76, hook and loop fastener or the like. Each of the first strap 44 and the second strap 64 may be constructed from a flexible material, such as leather, nylon or the like.

In use, the main body 12 is positioned on a wearer's 26 lower body 28 in the manner described above. The first 44 and second 64 straps are fastened using the coupler 50 and closure 70, respectively. The slit 42 permits expansion and contraction of the main body 12 as needed. The floatation member 34 allows the wearer 26 to float in a generally upright manner in the water while wearing the assembly 10. Unlike conventional life jackets, the assembly 10 of the present invention permits the wearer's 26 upper torso to be exposed so that the wearer 26 can move more freely in the water. For this reason, the assembly 10 also helps promote more even tan lines than use of a conventional life jacket.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements. 

I claim:
 1. A floatation garment assembly comprising: a main body having a front section, a rear section and a pelvic section coupled together, said pelvic section being coupled to and extending between a bottom of said front section and a bottom of said rear section, said main body having an open top end and a pair of leg openings extending into said main body, said leg openings being positioned adjacent to said pelvic section; wherein said pelvic section is positioned between legs of a wearer, said front section abuts an abdomen of the wearer and said rear section abuts the wearer's buttocks when said assembly is worn on the wearer's lower body; said main body including a floatation member constructed of a buoyant material for promoting buoyancy of the wearer in water; and a first strap positionable around said main body between said front section and said rear section for securing said main body around the wearer's lower body.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising said front section being coupled to said rear section above each of said leg openings.
 3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising wherein said floatation member comprises a pad constructed from a foam material.
 4. The assembly of claim 3, further comprising wherein said main body includes a shell positioned around and abutting an outer surface of said pad.
 5. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising wherein said main body includes a slit extending downwardly from said open top end toward said pelvic section.
 6. The assembly of claim 5, further comprising wherein said slit is positioned in said front section and extends transversely relative to said open top end of said main body.
 7. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising: said first strap having a break therein defining a first free end and a second free end of said first strap; and a coupler releasably coupling said first free end and said second free end of said first strap together, said coupler including a first mating member attached to said first free end of said first strap and a second mating member attached to said second free end of said first strap, said first and second mating members of said first strap being engageable to secure said first strap around said main body.
 8. The assembly of claim 7, further comprising wherein said coupler comprises a buckle.
 9. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second strap positionable around said main body, said second strap being spaced above said first strap.
 10. The assembly of claim 9, further comprising: said second strap having a break therein defining a first outer end and a second outer end of said second strap; and a closure releasably coupling said first outer end and said second outer end of said second strap together, said closure including a first coupling member attached to said first outer end and a second coupling member attached to said second outer end, said first and second coupling members of said second strap being engageable to secure said second strap around said main body.
 11. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising said main body having a first hole and a second hole each positioned in an exterior surface of said main body, said first and second holes being horizontally aligned relative to each other, each of said first and second holes defining an access opening into a channel formed within an interior space of said main body, said channel extending from said first hole to said second hole, said first strap extending through said channel.
 12. The assembly of claim 7, further comprising: said main body having a slit extending downwardly from said open top end toward said pelvic section, said slit being positioned in said front section and extending transversely relative to said open top end of said main body; and said coupler being positionable over said slit to help retain said slit in a closed position.
 13. The assembly of claim 10, further comprising wherein said closure comprises a buckle.
 14. The assembly of claim 5, further comprising wherein said slit tapers from said open top end toward said pelvic section.
 15. A floatation garment assembly comprising: a main body having a front section, a rear section and a pelvic section coupled together, said pelvic section being coupled to and extending between a bottom of said front section and a bottom of said rear section, said main body having an open top end and a pair of leg openings extending into said main body, said leg openings being positioned adjacent to said pelvic section, said front section being coupled to said rear section above each of said leg openings, said main body including a slit extending downwardly from said open top end toward said pelvic section, said slit being positioned in said front section and extending transversely relative to said open top end of said main body, said slit tapering from said open top end toward said pelvic section, said main body having a first hole and a second hole each positioned in an exterior surface of said main body, said first and second holes being horizontally aligned relative to each other, each of said first and second holes defining an access opening into a channel formed within an interior space of said main body, said channel extending from said first hole to said second hole; wherein said pelvic section is positioned between legs of a wearer, said front section abuts an abdomen of the wearer and said rear section abuts the wearer's buttocks when said assembly is worn on the wearer's lower body; said main body including a floatation member constructed of a buoyant material for promoting buoyancy of the wearer in water, said floatation member comprising a pad constructed from a foam material; wherein said main body includes a shell positioned around and abutting an outer surface of said pad; a first strap positionable around said main body between said front section and said rear section for securing said main body around the wearer's lower body, said first strap having a break therein defining a first free end and a second free end of said first strap, said first strap extending through said channel; a coupler releasably coupling said first free end and said second free end of said first strap together, said coupler including a first mating member attached to said first free end of said first strap and a second mating member attached to said second free end of said first strap, said first and second mating members of said first strap being engageable to secure said first strap around said main body, said coupler comprising a buckle, said coupler being positionable over said slit to help retain said slit in a closed position; a second strap positionable around said main body, said second strap being spaced above said first strap, said second strap having a break therein defining a first outer end and a second outer end of said second strap; and a closure releasably coupling said first outer end and said second outer end of said second strap together, said closure including a first coupling member attached to said first outer end and a second coupling member attached to said second outer end, said first and second coupling members of said second strap being engageable to secure said second strap around said main body, said closure comprising a buckle. 